From Lawrence Bishnoi ties to Pannun plot: Ex-R&AW officer Vikash Yadav gets relief as court recalls non-bailable warrant

The warrant was withdrawn after his lawyers cited a strike, but Yadav had skipped hearings earlier citing threats to his life.

A Delhi court on Wednesday quashed a non-bailable warrant (NBW) issued two days ago against former R&AW officer Vikash Yadav Vikash Yadav, a former R&AW officer who was named by the US for allegedly killing pro-Khalistani terrorist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun and also abducting and extorting a Rohini based businessman on behalf of Lawrence Bishnoi.

Judge Saurabh Partap Singh Laler recalled the NBW after Yadav's counsel announced that they would be unable to attend Monday's hearing owing to a lawyers' strike. The court reinstated the bail bond surety and ordered Yadav to appear in person or through counsel on October 17, the next scheduled hearing.

Why the warrant was revoked and what the judge ordered

On Monday (order dated August 25), the court issued NBW noting Yadav's absence "despite repeated calls since morning," and served notice on his surety under Section 491 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (process on forfeited bonds) for October 17.

On Wednesday, defense counsel explained the bar's continued absence from work, causing the court to recall the warrant and continue the case to the previously scheduled date. Yadav has previously obtained exemptions from personal appearance citing a threat to life, but he did not file a new exemption request on Monday, sparking the NBW.

Timeline and Status of the Delhi Kidnapping-Extortion Case

Yadav was arrested on December 18, 2023, after a Rohini resident filed a FIR alleging kidnapping and extortion and linking him to mobster Lawrence Bishnoi. He was later released on bond, despite the fact that the police had filed a charge sheet in the case. Since then, he has requested and received appearance exemptions on security grounds.

The NBW episode took place amid a capital-wide lawyers' strike opposing the Lieutenant-Governor's notification permitting virtual presentation of police evidence; the strike’s fifth day fell on Wednesday. The court has now restored Yadav’s bond and fixed October 17 for his appearance.

Parallel developments, the co-accused, and the Pannun plot link

In November 2023, US prosecutors accused Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, a Khalistani separatist residing in New York, of a "murder-for-hire" scheme, first identifying an Indian official as "CC-1." This made Yadav's identity well-known. A superseding indictment known as "CC-1" was filed against Vikash Yadav in October 2024; the Ministry of External Affairs subsequently declared that he was no longer employed by the Government of India.

Jalaluddin alias Sameer, a co-accused from Dubai who was arrested on July 1, is currently out on bail; Bikram Gogoi, a fourth person, has requested anticipatory bail; and an alleged associate, Abdullah Khan, obtained an extension of passport release to go for his father's cancer treatment. In order to prepare for the October hearing, the NBW's call resets the sequence of events.